Ginsaki
by LadyRushia
Summary: They're after Konata. Kagami, Ginsaki's top agent, has to protect her at all costs, but is Konata their real target? Soon, Konata is forced to face the threat herself, but their promise of a perfect world may stop her from accepting reality.
1. Ginsaki's Best Agent

**A/N:** Well, this is an idea that came to life because of a dream I had. The dream was even about Lucky Star, XD. Anyway, I have a lot of this sketched out and such, and I think it might work. I guess we'll just see what happens. Also, this is my first Lucky Star fanfic ever. Oh joy.

**Disclaimer: Lucky Star will never ever in the history of ever belong to me, nor will I ever claim that it does. All of Lucky Star are belong to Yoshimizu Kagami.**

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"Honestly, Konata, you're not going to always have me around to copy homework from," said Kagami with one hand on her waist as she dropped her notebook on Konata's desk.

"Ah, but today I do, Kagamin," said Konata with a cheeky smile. "And I probably will until we graduate at least, unless you want to follow me to college."

"Stop looking at me like that! And quit saying weird things!" Kagami turned away in an attempt to hide a blush. "Geez, you should learn to take care of your own business. Besides, I might not always. . ."

Kagami turned her back to Konata and remained still. Konata raised an eyebrow and then poked Kagami's back with the eraser on her pencil. Kagami let out a high-pitched yelp, then whipped around and slammed her hands on Konata's desk.

"Idiot! What was that for?"

"Kagami Secrets #14: Kagami is ticklish in the love handles," said Konata as she wrote it in her notebook.

Kagami was fuming. "Love handles! I don't have-stop writing that down! And what are the other 13 'Kagami Secrets'?"

"They're secrets, so I can't tell you," said Konata casually.

Kagami heaved an exasperated sigh. "Sometimes I don't know why I put up with you."

"But you do and that's all that matters, right?" There was a seriousness in Konata's voice that softened Kagami's expression.

"Sure, whatever."

The bell chimed, signaling the beginning of classes.

"Later, Konata," said Kagami and made her way out of the classroom.

"Bye-bye, Kagami. Miss you already," said Konata playfully. Kagami paused and grumbled, but didn't say anything. On her way out, she passed Kuroi-sensei's desk and glanced at her.

"Don't look at me like that, Kagami," she said in a bored tone that matched the tired look on her face.

"I wasn't giving you a look," said Kagami, calmly.

"My mistake then. Must be left overs from Konata."

Kagami turned her head slightly back in Konata's direction and looked at her from the corner of her eye. "Nanako-san-"

"Kuroi-sensei. School has started now."

"Right. Kuroi-sensei, if you just pulled some strings-"

"Kagami," Kuroi-sensei leaned forward and spoke softly, "I know you're worried, but I can't do anything. If you were suddenly switched to my class, the Jinakate would know we're onto their plan and change tactics. It's already suspicious enough that I'm her teacher."

"But I. . .Konata. . ."

Kuroi-sensei sighed. "This protective thing you have for her could land you and the rest of us in a heap of trouble. It's one of your best qualities, but you need to realize that it can be used against you."

Kagami clenched her fists, but didn't raise her voice. "She could've had a normal life if it wasn't for them. I'm the only one of her friends who can actually make sure she's happy. I owe her-"

"You owe her nothing," Kuroi-sensei said sternly. "What happened back then wasn't your fault and you couldn't have done anything to stop it. She's as normal as she can be and we need to keep it that way. Any unusual activity around her will make them watch her more closely and put her in more danger. As long as they think they can move freely, we have the advantage."

Kagami stared at Kuroi-sensei for a few seconds and nodded reluctantly.

"You should get to class."

Kagami nodded again and left the room.

Konata and Tsukasa waited for Kagami that afternoon at the entrance of Ryouou High School. The spring air was warm and fresh; a consistent light breeze carried the smell of flowers and cherry blossoms all over the school grounds.

Konata leaned back against a wall with her arms behind her head and her legs crossed, her hair gently swaying in the breeze. "What's taking her so long?"

"Maybe she's talking to a teacher," said Tsukasa and looked up as she thought of more possibilities. "Or maybe she has cleaning duty."

"Heh, Kagami _would_ take forever if she has cleaning duty. Everything makes sense now."

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Oh, there you are, sis," said Tsukasa as Kagami approached them.

"You could hear me from that far away? You must have super amazing ears or something."

"Oh-well-well of course I could hear you. Your voice is easy to pick out in a crowd, so you shouldn't make fun of me when I'm not around."

"But I can do it now that you're here, right?" said Konata without missing a beat, earning her a hard bonk on the head from Kagami.

"Let's go now," said Kagami and walked ahead of the other two.

Konata and Tsukasa talked all the way to the train station, but Kagami hardly paid attention to them. She kept one hand in the pocket of her skirt, holding on tightly to her Detector. It was a small but multi-functional device that was currently scanning the area for Jinakate agents and amplifying every sound around her. So far, it was completely silent; nothing was amiss. Even so, Kagami kept her eyes moving. She wouldn't create even the smallest opportunity for anyone or anything to hurt Konata.

Ironically, a common yellow jacket decided to take Kagami up on that challenge. It buzzed around Konata's head threateningly and Konata was trying unsuccessfully to swat it away. In a swift motion, Kagami turned around, shoved Konata out of the way, and clubbed the bee with her fist. The bee fell pathetically to the ground and remained still.

"Wow," said Konata and Tsukasa simultaneously.

"Are you okay?" said Kagami.

"Yeah. . .you just-you just killed a bee. . .with your fist," said Konata.

"I did. And now it won't bother you anymore."

Konata stared at Kagami blankly for a few moments and then her facial expression returned to its usual grin. "Kagamin saved my life! She is brave and strong! She is my hero!"

"Stop that."

"Come on, Kagami. This is the part where the rescued princess fangirls over her dashing prince!"

"I'm not a prince."

Konata didn't listen to her and began to sing. "Kagami will protect me from bees! . . .And failing grades! Kagami!"

"Will you stop that already? Geez." _Of course I'm going to protect you. I have no other choice. Nothing will get past Ginsaki's best agent. Not even a stupid bee._

_

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_Here ends the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews/comments would be quite lovely. Things are going to get more serious relatively soon, and there's a high likelihood of a fight scene in the next chapter. Farewell for now.


	2. Guns At the Train Station

**A/N: Lucky Star does not and will not ever belong to me ever in the history of ever. All of Lucky Star belongs to Yoshimizu Kagami.**

On with the story!

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As usual, the train station was crowded, which put Kagami at ease. With so many people around, the Jinakate wouldn't dare to try anything, unless-no, that was very unlikely, but at the same time Kagami wouldn't put it past them. After all, the Ginsaki also had a variety of abilities that were better off hidden from the general public. Kagami didn't let her guard down.

Kagami, Konata, and Tsukasa made their way to the ticket machines and picked the shortest line to stand in. A large TV was fixed to the ceiling right above them; the volume was low, but the closed captions were on. The program was a news show on NHK which Konata and Tsukasa could've cared less about. Kagami, however, was paying very close attention to it and she could hear every word. So as not to arouse suspicion, she looked straight ahead and only watched the TV for a couple minutes at a time.

"It seems that the agency known as Jinakate has solved yet another case. The criminal behind Asahina Ryoko's murder has been apprehended thanks to the efforts of Yasunobu Ichiro and his fellow Jinakate members. As soon as the murder was reported, they offered to help with the investigation and were able to provide vital leads into solving the case. The murderer, Kawamura Minoru, will be tried in the coming months. . . ."

_Bullshit_, Kagami thought. _They're the ones who killed Ryoko. Nanako-san and I saw it happen. Leave it to the police to trust the first people to give them tons of money and fancy tools. The set-up is so obvious, but they never bothered to investigate them first._

". . .amazing how popular they've become. There are many strong supporters urging their members to run for political offices," the news anchor continued, turning to her co-anchor.

"Well, you know it's simply amazing how much this group has done. Remember last month when a few of them in robot suits rescued those children from that collapsing building? That was amazing," he said.

_Yeah, you kidnapped those children and made the building collapse in the first place._ Kagami glared at the TV.

The anchor lady laughed. "It was like something out of an anime. Kind of silly if you ask me."

Kagami looked at Konata, half expecting her to suddenly focus all of her attention on the TV, but the blue-haired girl didn't seem to notice. Kagami remembered that Konata probably couldn't hear it.

"It might've been silly, but those suits protected them from the falling rubble and the children got out safely."

"Yes, and we're all thankful for that."

It was finally their turn to buy tickets and Kagami had enough of listening to the news. As they walked over to the platform, Kagami's Detector started vibrating and a frantic beeping rang in her ears. Trying not to panic, she quickly scanned the crowd and then she spotted him: Yasunobu Ichiro. He was a tall man dressed in a black business suit and he was quickly heading in their direction. Without warning, Kagami dashed toward him.

"Kagami! Where are you going? We only have five minutes!" said Konata, but Kagami didn't listen to her.

Ichiro chuckled as Kagami approached and reached inside his breast pocket. He pulled out a metal device that only had a blue button on it. Raising it above his head, he pressed the button and Kagami felt a jolt. Then she noticed that everything around her was completely still except for Ichiro.

"Aren't you hasty?" he said in a mock playful tone. "My business today has nothing to do with you."

Kagami reached in her other pocket and pulled out what looked like an ordinary pen. She clicked the top and tossed the pen in the air. As it twirled around, it expanded into a silver colored gun. She caught it, spun it in her hand once, and then aimed it at Ichiro.

"I'm not in the mood for games," she said coldly.

"Calm down," said Ichiro, not losing his smile. "I only wanted to have a little chat with your blue-haired friend there." He tilted his head, indicating Konata. Kagami turned around and found the sight of Konata frozen in the middle of shouting something slightly amusing.

"So what, did you freeze everyone around us or something?"

"Quite the opposite. I sped the two of us up. We are now nothing but passing breezes as far as everyone else is concerned," said Ichiro loftily.

"Right," said Kagami, still pointing her gun at him.

"Ah, that must be the newest model you have there. On behalf of all the Jinakate, thank you for sharing that technology with us." He bowed and Kagami only grew more infuriated.

"You stole the plans from us! I'm sick of this hero game you guys are playing! What do you want with Konata?"

Ichiro's face darkened and he pulled a pen identical to Kagami's out of his breast pocket. "I don't like rude girls," he said and tossed the pen in the air. "I especially don't like girls who are rude to me. Then again," he caught the gun with a snap of his wrist, "I never expect to see much class come from the Ginsaki." He fired and Kagami jumped backwards. Following the bullet was a stream of red light and when it hit the ground, thin strands of electricity buzzed around in a slightly wider radiance. Kagami jumped behind a pillar and fired back. Her shot barely missed.

Ichiro ran toward the pillar and Kagami slipped to the other side, managing to get behind him. She leapt forward and knocked him in the back of her head with her elbow. He fell forward and she landed on his back, holding her gun to his neck.

"You're going to tell me what you want with Konata," she pressed the gun harder, "and you're going to tell me now."

Ichiro started laughing and his back jerkily bumped up and down. "This world is so boring, isn't it? Reality is so dull. Let's make our dreams real."

Kagami noticed that he still had his gun and that his arm was stretched out toward Konata. Just as he fired, she managed to roll off and knock the gun away, but not before getting clipped on the shoulder. She felt the sting of the electricity as it bounced down her back, but it could've been worse. She got to her feet and so did Ichiro, who was laughing even harder now as he picked up his gun.

"So it's true! The extent you would go to is quite amazing! Quite amazing indeed!" he gave her a wild look as he laughed uncontrollably. After a minute or so, he calmed down, but still wore a wide grin. "You would do anything to protect Izumi's living legacy-Kanata's pride and joy."

"Shut up," said Kagami, her arm shaking a little.

"Oh Kagami, Ginsaki's best agent should know better than to form such silly attachments. I'm finished for today. I take my leave in peace." Ichiro pressed the blue button again and everything started moving. Kagami quickly pressed a small button on her gun and it compressed itself back into a pen. She looked around for Ichiro, but he had disappeared among the bustling crowd. She turned around and slowly headed back toward Konata and Tsukasa, feeling her shoulder to see how bad the wound was. There was a tear in her shirt and there was some blood, but it didn't hurt too much.

"Kagami, why did you run off like that?" asked Konata.

"Oh, um, I thought I saw someone I knew, but it turned out it was a different person."

"Man, that happens to me all the time with anime. I get all excited randomly seeing my favorite character somewhere and it turns out it's some other character from a completely different series! It's so disappointing," Konata sighed.

Kagami smiled at her weakly and placed her hand on Konata's head, giving it a few gentle rubs before walking past her toward the train. After a short pause, the other two followed.

"Sis, what happened to your shoulder?" asked Tsukasa.

"Some kid threw a rock and it sort of hit me," said Kagami. It wasn't a very believable cover-up, but she knew Tsukasa would be satisfied with it. She expected Konata to say something smart, but instead she remained oddly silent.

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Badabing! Here's chapter 2. Thanks to those of you who read, reviewed, faved, etc. I hope you enjoyed it. Any feedback would be lovely.


	3. Meetings

**A/N: **Golly gee, it's been so long! Well, I have good reasons, I promise, XD. Those reasons would be school, life, school, and school. I haven't abandoned this story, nor do I intend to; however, it'll be a long time before the next chapter comes out because of NaNoWriMo and, you guessed it, school! Feel free to add me as a buddy on the NaNo site: .org/eng/user/450050 I'll be posting my story on DeviantArt and my blog since I already have four sections of it up anyway.

Now it's time to respond to comments! I do appreciate comments, especially the long ones because I know how much time it takes to write them. Putting that much of your effort into considering my writing is something I genuinely respect and appreciate.

First up is an anonymous comment left for chapter 1:

_Well, i hope the what, why and the plot will unfold in the later chapters because i really didn't understand this chapter to be honest._

After reading this and another comment that I'll get to in a moment, I realized that I probably rushed into this story a little too quickly. I had a vague idea of where it was going, but nothing too concrete. Then again, actually writing it helped to solidify it. I was going for something that wouldn't start out as a massive info dump and create a feeling of mystery/secrecy, but I might've withheld too much/not developed enough. Hopefully I've made up for that between chapters 2 and 3.

Next is a comment from Seven Tenths:

_This reader is intrigued. Please continue._

Thank you. I hope to see this story through to the end. :)

Next up is AsahinaRyoko. Your feedback was very helpful, so I'm gonna respond to it in parts:

_And ... I'm dead!_

Funny story. It took me at least ten minutes to see what you did there. At first I was really confused and then I was like "OMG IS THE STORY SO BAD THAT IT KILLS PEOPLE?" XDD

_This story is still in its early stage, so don't expect too much of a review. Normally I let a story develop a little more so as to get a better feel for the writing. This is more of an offering of encouragement._

_ So far I like what I see. It's fun, funny, cute, and has a lot of potential. I really like the KonaKaga banter in the first chapter. You really seem to have a knack for writing Konata!_

Thank you. Konata and Kagami are strong, predictable characters, so interactions between them tend to come pretty easily.

_The story is getting more exciting in second chapter, as the action quickly turns frenetic! But it seems like you are rushing the plot forward way too rapidly. So much exposition takes place in this chapter that it feels a little like information overload. I think you could have easily made three chapters from the material presented here._

I realized this as well. It's funny because I wanted to the story to move quickly, but the story itself is like "NO. I'M GONNA BE SLOWER." As a result, I've extended things, so all that stuff that was introduced in chapter 2 should have some room to breathe.

_Kagami, I love you girl, but you made the classic action movie mistake. If you're gonna talk to the bad guy then it's OK to talk. But the second you pull a gun, the time for talking is OVER! There should be no delay between draw and fire. And don't stop shooting until the situation is resolved! (This is my little message to Kagami, not a criticism of your story)._

Actually, this gave me a lot of ideas about how Kagami relates to the other agents, XD_._ Also, writing modern day action is something new for me, so I might write things that don't make much sense, XD.

_ One last thing - about the genre. Tragedy? In my mind this means things are going to turn very serious shortly, and I'm not expecting a happy ending. I feel that it may be difficult to compose in a manner satisfying for the reader. Not saying it can't be done, I just hope you are up to the task._

Yeah, I put that in there because of something that's going to happen quite a ways down the road. Initially, I thought I would be getting to that point sooner so that's why I marked it like that. I am up for the challenge of taking something like Lucky Star and making it all actiony with a serious plot and serious things that happen. I can't say whether or not I'll do it well, but this fic is a bit of a creative stretch/balancing act.

Next comment is from FanFicAA:

_Hum...I have to admit this is getting pretty good; that, and the idea is quite cool when placed in Lucky Star. Good Show, I'll be keeping tabs on this. :D_

Thank you. One of the reasons why I like/tend to write fanfiction for slice-of-life series like Azumanga Daioh and Lucky Star is that they give you a lot of room to add a progressive plot involving already developed characters. A lot of what makes up this story is new stuff that I just want to try for kicks.

The last comment is from Black-Blood-Demon:

_I WANNA SEE THE NEXT CHAPTER :D_

SO MUCH EXCITEMENT :D XD I'm just teasing. :P Here you go!

**Disclaimer: Lucky Star has never belonged to me nor will I ever claim it does. I only claim my OCs as my own.**

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Later that evening, Kagami found herself at the padlocked door of an abandoned building. Everything about this building was either crumbling or drooping, from the loose gutters to the chipped stairs and rusted railings. The windows were boarded and the whole place was all around easy to ignore, especially since it was surrounded by similar looking structures. Just in case, Kagami looked around as she reached for her key and turned the lock. With a click and a creak, the door opened and she slipped inside.

It was completely dark-Kagami made sure the door was shut securely before moving on. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her Detector and flipped it open. A bright beam of light emanated from it, revealing nothing but empty space and an elevator shaft a few feet away. She walked toward it, her footsteps echoing off the bare walls. When she reached it, she pressed a button on a small black call box.

"Name please?" said a crackled female voice.

"Hiiragi."

"Why should a person be standing on the ground?"

"To be awake and deal with conflict."

"Why should a scrape on the knee hurt?"

"Falling hurts, but we can stand up again."

"Why should the sky stay blue?"

Kagami sighed. "Come on, don't you think that's enough? You know it's me."

"Protocol, Kagami," the girl on the other end said in a cute voice.

Kagami rolled her eyes. "You just want a reason to ask those weird questions. I'm already late."

"You're making yourself later by not answering my question, Kagamin."

An image of Konata chiding her instantly flashed in Kagami's mind and it annoyed her. "Fine. The sky should stay blue because reality is just fine. Now can you let me in?"

"Just a second."

There was a clank and the low hum of moving pulleys filled the air. Seconds later, the elevator crawled up and the metal gate before it slid open. Kagami stepped in and leaned against the wall. When the elevator stopped on the bottom floor, she was greeted with an array of bright lights emanating from screens, machines, and the strange circular designs on the black walls. The shiny black floor increased the brightness and Kagami squinted a little until her eyes adjusted.

People were scurrying around here and there, clicking away on machines and typing in loads of data that Kagami didn't try to comprehend. Only the tech team was out and about now; all the agents were already in the meeting room.

"Why should Kagami run as fast as she can? Because she ate so many snacks that she couldn't get here on time for her meeting."

Kagami twitched and turned to her right where a black-haired girl sitting behind a desk was smiling at her.

"You call that protocol too, Miki?" Kagami said through gritted teeth.

"Nah, you're just fun to tease," said Miki with a wave of her hand.

"Geez, you sound like Konata."

"Oh really?" said Miki with more mocking interest than Kagami cared for.

Kagami rolled her eyes. "I don't have time for you right now." With that, she broke into a run. She ran quickly and reached the closed double doors of the meeting room a couple minutes later. When she pulled it back and slipped in, everyone sitting at the table inside turned to stare at her. She froze.

"And why are you late, Kagami?"

The gray-haired man standing on the opposite side of the room pierced her with a cold, serious gaze. His name was Sugitani Masaki and he was the chief and founder of Ginsaki. His slightly arched eyebrows raised the wrinkles on his forehead, giving him a quizzical yet knowing look like a grandfather calmly scolding a child. With his hands clasped behind his back, he anticipated her answer. Everyone was looking at her and she could feel a cold sweat trickle down her back.

"I, um-school work! I got busy." Kagami flushed and bowed deeply, hoping they would all leave it at that.

There was a short pause before he spoke again. "Ordinarily, I wouldn't mind tardiness. I understand how difficult it can be to balance your work here with your regular life. However, your little incident today is more of a pressing matter than we initially thought."

"How?" Kagami said weakly.

"Take a seat."

Kagami obeyed silently and sat in a black wheeled chair next to Kuroi-sensei-or Nanako-san since they weren't in school right now (she found the whole name switching thing rather tedious and was half tempted to invent a new name for her). The blonde woman sat back in her seat with her arms crossed and sighed as the lights dimmed and the large, blue screen at the front of the room grew brighter.

"No one's mad at you," she whispered. "Although, we're worried."

"About what?"

"You're losing your touch, Kagami."

At that moment, footage of Kagami's battle at the train station began playing on the screen as seen through her eyes. This was a normal procedure at these meetings. One of the features of the Detectors the agents carried around was the ability to record whatever is seen or heard and send it back to headquarters for analysis. Kagami always had that feature switched on whenever she was around Konata just in case something happened.

The video paused at the point where Yasunobu Ichiro took out his gun and then zoomed in on the gun itself.

"As you can see," said Chief Sugitani, "this is the Bolt 2 model 367, the very gun used by Asahina Ryoko."

There were a few delighted gasps and sighs of relief. Even Kagami, who was still flustered from being late and not knowing why everyone was apparently worried about her, relaxed a little bit in her seat. At least right now they were all on the same page.

"Because they're using the old model, and a stolen one at that, then it's safe to assume that they haven't started replicating the Bolt 3. At least, not yet," continued Chief Sugitani.

"Even if they have, I'd like to see them try to figure out how to read the plans," said Kuroi-sensei. "There's a reason why I don't explain my codes to anyone. This means we still have a chance to get them back before any real damage is done."

"Yes, and we must act quickly. You and Kagami will infiltrate their headquarters tomorrow night."

Kagami jumped. "Me? But Konata-" She stopped herself quickly before she went any farther. She neither intended to say what she was thinking nor say it so loud. Everyone was looking at her again and Chief Sugitani sighed.

"How's your shoulder, Kagami?" he asked in a warm, fatherly tone which made Kagami feel even more awkward. Her hand immediately reached up and touched the small wound. It didn't hurt and it certainly wasn't fatal, so she had no idea why he was talking about it as though she had almost died when it happened.

"It's fine," Kagami said slowly.

"Good, good," he paused and took a deep breath. "I do worry about my agents, even though you are all very skilled. Please, do not resort to becoming a human shield unless there is absolutely no other way."

"What are you talking about? I didn't-"

"Izumi is not solely your responsibility, Kagami."

Kagami slammed her fists on the table and stood up. "What is this, an intervention? Since when is it such a big deal that I want to protect Konata? Isn't protecting people what we do here? And especially Konata! I was the one who first figured out that they were targeting her and I'm the only one who's ever around when they try to attack her! If I don't do it, no one else will!"

"No one is denying that or saying that's a bad thing. I just feel that you're going to lose yourself one of these days. The more you blur the line between friend and body guard, the more likely that is to happen. Keep your distance for now. The more you lay low, the less they'll think to use this to their advantage."

"Leave her alone?" Kagami stared at him incredulously. "But how-"

"I said lay low. Do not worry about her so much and don't feel like you have some responsibility toward her."

"But-"

"That's an order, Hiiragi. We don't need anything worse happening than what occurred today."

Kagami grunted and slumped down in her chair with her arms crossed.

Yasunobu Ichiro passed swiftly through the revolving doors of Jinakate Inc., a large glass building that towered over everything else around it. The highest levels eerily reflected the moon and stars in the stillness of the night. As he walked across the shiny, black tile floor, the secretary at the desk greeted him with a smile and a nod, which he returned in kind. Moments later, he reached a row of evenly spaced elevators, pushed the button, and waited calmly with his hands folded in front of him. One elevator rang softly and the door slid open with hardly a sound.

Once inside, he pressed the button for level 40 and leaned against the brass railing as the elevator swiftly lifted him upward. Seconds later, the door opened and he was greeted with the attentive stares of the black suited men and women seated around a large table. He took a seat at the head of the table and folded his hands. The others followed suit.

"Master Jun will be with us shortly," he said. "We have many things to discuss tonight, but how about we first brainstorm some more ideas for our next project?"

A woman immediately raised her hand and Ichiro nodded to her. She sat erect in her chair and spoke with a wide grin. "The most interesting things happen at high schools! Romance, exams, and mysterious events!"

"Mysterious events?"

"Oh yes! A high school as the final frontier of a battle between worlds is the best kind of situation!"

"We'll have to start smaller than that. The time has come to start linking all of these events to an enemy. Using up all of our pawns as petty scapegoats won't work for too much longer."

"So we need a catalyst," said a man near the back. "A spark."

"A fire," said Ichiro. "What do the murder of a seemingly innocent high school student and an incident at a local high school have in common?"

"Ginsaki!" said the cheery woman. Everyone laughed heartily.

"That's almost too easy," chuckled Ichiro. "Besides, they're only perpetuating our vision for the world. No, for now, the best kind of public enemy is one that is unnamed. We can mention that it exists and promise to get to the bottom of it. As far as the citizens of Japan are concerned, we will protect them to the ends of the earth."

"But if we out Ginsaki now, they won't get in our way anymore," said the man.

"Trust me, they aren't in our way now. They only think they are."

"Classless brutes! And so quick to hold onto their attachments. They can't envision the kind of world we dream of," said the woman.

"Indeed. Why should the sky stay such a boring color and why scrape our knees if we can defy gravity altogether? This mediocre world has no hints of the epic struggles of the best stories. How bland."

"That is why we will continue to make reality more like fiction," came a lofty voice from the shadows. Everyone turned around and beheld with awe a tall man with white gloves and a gentle smile.

"Master Jun," they all said enthusiastically.

"I am so glad you all could make it tonight. Ichiro, thank you for getting things started," he said, placing a hand on the back of Ichiro's chair.

"Have you been there this whole time, Master Jun? Did you hear our ideas?" said the eager woman.

"Yes and yes. They are fantastic ideas and I hope to implement them all at some point. However, I agree with Ichiro in that we must go about things gradually. If we are to come into control of the story of the world, we must do so carefully."

"Oh yes! We haven't even chosen our hero yet!"

"On the contrary, I chose the hero many years ago," said Master Jun, extending his hand, "and it's almost time for the initiation. Ichiro, I am placing you in charge of this most important event."

"Yes, sir," said Ichiro with a nod, concealing a satisfied smile with his folded hands.

"By the way, were you able to speak with Izumi today?"

Ichiro shifted uncomfortably and hoped no one else noticed. "No," he said softly. "I had a run-in with Hiiragi."

This sparked excited and hushed conversations between the other members. Master Jun let it go for a few moments before silencing them. "So, Hiiragi prevented you from getting near Izumi."

"Yes. I decided to retreat for the time being and wait for a better set of circumstances."

"A better set of circumstances. You and I think alike, Ichiro."

"Thank you, sir."

"We must be delicate in regards to both of them. Should we misstep, the outcome will not be desirable."

"What do you mean?"

Master Jun paused and then looked directly at Ichiro. "Let's just say that we have a chance at accomplishing two tasks simultaneously."

* * *

Well, there you have it! Again, I probably won't be able to write more until early Decemberish. The next chapter should involve some amount of action, but I can't say for sure until I write it. I hope you liked it. Any feedback is much appreciated!

-LadyRushia


	4. Fire

**NOTE: LUCKY STAR AND ALL RELATED CHARACTERS DO NOT BELONG TO ME AT ALL.**

Well, here we are in January! NaNoWriMo was fabulously awesome. I won six days ahead of time and got a huge discount on Scrivener, which is a really amazing writing program. The end of the semester went well, the holidays went well, etc. and now I'm back with a new chapter. First, it's time for review responses!

First up is a series of comments by "Me."

_Dude, dude, did Kagami have anything to do with Mama-Izumi's death? Is that what she's guilting over? Or did you make something up? Didn't Mrs. I die when Konata was little, though? Is Kagami a magical time traveler? _

_ This is cool, man. A mite short, but well written and interesting._

Thank you. Kagami didn't have a hand in Kanata's death and no she isn't a magical time traveler, XD. I'm keeping with the fact that Kanata died when Konata was young, but in this story Konata would've been old enough to have a few vivid memories of her mother. That's about as much as I'm tweaking that part of canon.

_Is Konata Haruhi? So the bad guys, or at least this one, are aiming to spice things up? Is Konata a device to bring chaos to this 'boring' world? Like the Rose Bride! You know, the power to bring about the world revolution and all that jazz._

No Suzumiya crossovers here, XD. It would be interesting to play with, but I'm not sure how well it would work. Konata has a unique way of looking at the world and that's what makes her interesting. Also, lol Utena.

_Yay! I was right! Sorta. Make reality more like fiction, aye? Coolio. I like it! So Konata isn't a reality bender? She's the main character in the world story of their dreams? Kagami's trying to preserve reality, huh? Seems like something she'd do. Spoilsport._

Heheheh, again Konata is very interesting to them. As far as what Kagami's up to, whether it's good or bad depends on how you look at it.

Next up is Zombie Ryoko. Once again, I see what you did there and I'm amused.

_Oi, wot's this then? More story? That's good, gooooood. I woulda been pissed if I died for no reason._

Don't worry. Your death ended up driving the plot more than I originally thought it would.

_Ha! Seriously though, I'm really glad you found the comments useful. This is definitely turning into a very unusual story. I'm not sure if it's based on something I haven't seen or read, but that doesn't matter. You're doing a good job at laying the groundwork for this unique universe, so I don't feel like I'm missing anything._

Have you ever read 20th Century Boys by Naoki Urasawa? I'm very loosely drawing some elements from that into this story. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend you do. It's easily the best manga series I've read to date. I'm glad things are making sense, though.

_I wonder if Kagami will be able to keep her distance from Konata. I'm guessing that order won't last two seconds once she's back in the field. Especially given the interest Jinakate has taken in the blue-haired one. And of course her own interest in Konata. Which is in no small way directly related to my own interest. So I guess that means things are getting interesting. Heh heh, sorry that was weak._

Yeah, the whole keeping the distance thing isn't gonna work out too well for her. The relationship between those two in general is very interesting and it's something I wanted to explore, but there won't be any romance. I'm gonna try to play with a slightly different angle.

_And so... I suppose all will be revealed in time. And by that I mean a lot of time. (Ah well, at least it won't be years from now)._

Well, here's some more stuff for you right now, XD._  
_

* * *

Kagami had to fight with all her strength to stay awake through her morning classes the next day. Although the meeting didn't run too late, she had trouble falling asleep afterword. She couldn't shake the feeling that everyone in Ginsaki was doubting her or treating her like a child just because of Konata. She was Ginsaki's best agent for crying out loud, so why were they all worried about her? She got a minor hit the other day-so what? If the same thing happened to Kuroi-sensei, no one would get on her case.

And they were never this concerned about Asahina Ryoko. Then again, the two of them were basically an unstoppable team. The fight against Jinakate was going so well up until her death. Now, it was like everyone took a thousand steps back and entered crisis mode. Sure, Ryoko's death jolted them all, but Kagami knew how to look out for herself and how to look out for the people she needed to protect.

Of course, she couldn't be everywhere at once. That was impossible. Kagami stared at the blank lines in her notebook, her vision blurry and her eyes suddenly hot. _Damn it, Ryoko_, she thought and bit her lower lip in an attempt to gain control over herself. _They got us good, didn't they? Splitting us up like that-two different targets at the same time. I was too late_.

The lunch bell rang and Kagami jumped out of her seat, her heart racing and her thoughts yanked back to reality. School wasn't the place to think about this stuff. With a sigh, she took her lunch out of her bag and headed over to Konata and Tsukasa's classroom.

"Kagami," said Kuroi-sensei as Kagami walked passed her, "tonight. Seven o'clock. Headquarters."

"Got it," said Kagami and went to join Konata and the others.

"Kagami would know about it," said Konata with a cheeky smile.

"Know about what?" said Kagami, grumbling as she sat down.

"Being alone at night and wishing you had a nice, attractive man to cuddle with in bed."

Kagami blushed. "What the _hell_ do you guys talk about when I'm not around? And what makes you think I'm like that?"

Konata ignored her and turned her attention to Tsukasa. "You're the little sister. What have you heard?"

"Heard?" said Tsukasa, her voice quivering slightly. "Um, well, I don't know what you mean. . ."

"Cries of loneliness? Midnight calls to the local radio station? Cursing her luck for her bad wife skills?"

"Wife skills?" Kagami shouted.

Konata ignored her again. "I guess she got all the brains and you got all the sweetness," she said with a sigh. "It's a shame. I think Kagami could get a pretty high level in wife skills if she tried."

"Would you stop talking about me like I'm not here?"

Konata finally looked at Kagami and smiled. "Aw, don't worry. I can teach you everything I know about being a good wife and cooking food properly."

"Oh really?" Kagami said sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, maybe I should come over to your house sometime and spend the night."

"Sure, just not tonight. I'm busy."

"Busy?" said Konata, her sly grin returning to her face. "Is it a date?"

"Not even close," said Kagami, looking away from her.

"We could have girl time and talk about all the boys you like."

Kagami glared at her. "Why do you insist on saying things like that? I don't like anyone right now."

"Hey, I'll bet your mom knows a lot about guy stuff. We can ask her."

"Huh? Konata, what's up with you talking like this suddenly? Is it in some anime you're watching?"

"No. It's nothing really. I just feel like it, I guess," said Konata and bit into a chocolate coronet.

The three of them ate in silence for a few minutes, but Kagami felt a little uneasy. Konata was definitely off today and she couldn't figure out why. Was there someone she liked? Maybe someone left her a love letter in her shoe locker or something and she wanted advice, but if that were the case why didn't she just say so? Maybe whatever was on her mind was something else entirely.

Kagami was about to ask her when the fire alarm rang.

She jumped out of her seat and looked at Kuroi-sensei, who raised her eyebrows slightly in a way that said "Calm down and act normally." The other students were startled, but immediately set themselves to leaving the classroom in an orderly fashion. Kagami was determined to stay with Konata, and just in case she switched on her Detector's eye cameras as they left the room.

"Who would pull the fire alarm during lunch? Worst timing ever," said Konata with a sigh.

"What if it's a real fire?" said Tsukasa.

"Couldn't be. The circumstances aren't right?"

"Circumstances?" said Kagami, pausing from her task of glancing everywhere so Ginsaki's tech team could possibly find something and looking directly at Konata.

"Well yeah. You know how in anime and games and stuff there's always some kind of rough political climate or something that makes the main character have to go on a quest? There's nothing like that happening right now, so false alarm."

Kagami stared at her with her mouth slightly open. _That's it_, she thought. _That's gotta be it. She's seen right through this without knowing anything. If she did-if I told her-_

"Whatcha lookin' at, Kagami?" said Konata with a short giggle.

"Don't make that face at me in the middle of a fire drill!"

"Ah! You know, this is a good chance for people to run off and find their crushes from other classes and confess to them."

Kagami rolled her eyes and faced forward again. She need to focus on scanning every passing corner and classroom for anything out of place, or better yet anyone who wasn't trying to leave. Of course, she didn't expect Jinakate agents to be _that_ obvious, but she wasn't about to let her guard down just because she was at school. Even if this incident was a false alarm or completely unrelated, Jinakate could and would use it to their advantage somehow.

Two minutes later, they were out of the building and followed the massive crowd across the street. Kagami looked behind her and saw smoke rising into the air. She took a deep breath, reached for the pen in her skirt pocket, and tried to locate Kuroi-sensei. She was only a few feet ahead of them, but Kagami saw her turn around and notice the smoke. An uneasy look swept across her face for a second, but she showed no other signs of reaction.

Then came a deafening explosion. Kagami felt the heat against her back and screams filled the air as people fled. She used the scattered crowd to slip away from Konata and the others to meet up with Kuroi-sensei.

"We have to go back there," said Kagami. "It's definitely them."

"My Detector isn't picking anything up."

"They could be using another decoy."

"Okay, but before we go back we should search the surrounding area for any hiding places. If it really is them, they'll be coming here soon enough to save the day."

"Fine. Let's split up and meet at the gates in ten minutes. Do you have your eye cameras on?"

"Always."

"Okay then, good luck."

They ran off in opposite directions. Kagami took her pen out, clicked it, and tossed it in the air. She caught it as a gun and spun it in her hand once before gripping it firmly. The problem with finding remote bomber hiding spots in a city was that any room in any building within view of the school was a viable option, and that was assuming someone had pushed a button some distance away or that the bomb was planted only a couple hours ago. Plus, they were only doing a quick scan, not a thorough search.

Kagami stopped running a block away from school and took out her Detector. The screen pulsed blue at a normal pace and no red dots appeared indicating Jinakate agents. In the bottom left corner, a yellow dot floated down a narrow alley and then slowed. It was Kuroi-sensei and it looked like she found something. Kagami kept an eye on her and pressed a green button. The screen zoomed out, increasing the Detector's range to a three kilometer radius. Its pulse increased and Kagami saw a couple red dots on the very edge of her map, but they weren't moving. There was nothing in her immediate area, so she relaxed and watched Kuroi-sensei as she made her way back to the school gates. She was stopped in that alley; she found something for sure. Just as Kagami reached into her pocket to pull out her cell phone, it rang.

"Hello?"

"Sis? Where are you?"

Kagami sighed in relief. Tsukasa was safe and Konata was probably with her.

"I'm a block away from the school. Don't worry about me. I'm okay. Where are you?"

"Everyone's heading home now and we're going to the train station. Do you want us to-"

There was a series of clicking sounds and grunts as something on the other end made Tsukasa struggle.

"Hey, Tsukasa? Tsukasa?" Kagami said quickly.

"Yo, Kagamin."

Kagami rolled her eyes. "Konata, what are you doing? Put Tsukasa back on the phone."

"So, why'd you suddenly disappear like that?"

"I had stuff to do and I still have stuff to do. You guys are safe and that's all that matters."

"Mmm, I'll bet the explosion made you hungry so you ran off to a sweets shop."

"I did not!" Kagami instinctively turned around and her face fell. The store she happened to be standing in front of was a local bakery with beautiful cakes sitting in the window display.

Konata laughed. "I know that silence. You're standing right in front of one, aren't you?"

"Shut up! Look, did anyone come after you?"

"Huh? No."

"Did you see anyone who looked a little out of place?"

"Hmm, well there was some guy in a fancy suit and sunglasses who walked by here. He kinda gave me this look like he knew who I was, but I've never seen him before."

Kagami tensed, but kept her voice calm. "Okay. Don't worry about waiting up for me. Just get home as soon as you can."

"Okay," Konata said softly and was then silent for a few moments. "When can we have that sleepover?"

Kagami smiled. "Is tomorrow night okay?"

"Yeah. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye."

Kagami hung up and sighed as she dialed Kuroi-sensei's number. Something was definitely bothering Konata and it made Kagami feel uneasy.

"Kagami, get down here quick," said Kuroi-sensei when she answered the phone. "I've got a kid here with a detonator."

"Got it," Kagami said and slammed her phone shut.

A few minutes later, she reached the alley and saw Kuroi-sensei standing over a boy with black hair and eyes that made him look like he wasn't all there. He was wearing a Ryouou High uniform and Kagami immediately recognized him.

"Nakamura Shoji," she said quietly. He looked at her with blank eyes and a wide grin. No, he definitely wasn't all there, but it didn't surprise her.

"Oh, you know who he is?" said Kuroi-sensei. "Good because I've been trying to get him to tell me his name. Nakamura Shoji. . ." She sighed heavily.

"They. . .they said-they said if I pushed. . .if I pushed the button, Ryoko would. . .come back," he said.

"That's all he's been saying," said Kuroi-sensei.

"Ryoko was his girlfriend. They must've taken advantage of that somehow. There's no way he would've done this on his own."

"Well, we can't just leave him here, so let's take him back to the school with us and figure out a way to get him home."

They each took one of Shoji's arms and lifted him to his feet. The whole way back to school, he mumbled the same phrases repeatedly as though he were talking in his sleep.

Only half the building remained. Debris fluttered everywhere in the wind and dark smoke seeped into the sky. A few small areas were still on fire, but nothing spread.

"So I guess we won't be coming back to school for awhile," said Kagami.

"Doesn't look like it," said Kuroi-sensei.

Suddenly, Kagami's Detector pulsed and beeped rapidly. She spun around and saw Yasunobu Ichiro with a few other Jinakate agents run in through the gates, guns pointing at them.

"Drop the boy!" he said.

Kagami and Kuroi-sensei released Shoji and he slumped to the ground with his head titled toward the sky.

"The sky is. . .purple. So much. . .better. . ."

"So, you've returned to the scene of the crime with the victim in hand!" said Ichiro.

Kagami glared and pointed her gun at him. "What the hell are you talking about?" she said in a low voice.

"You brainwashed this boy into bombing the school Asahina Ryoko attended! The fire was a distraction to get everyone out of the building!"

"Why trick someone when we could've had our own people do it?" said Kuroi-sensei. "This is the worst framing job I've ever seen."

"Is it framing, or is it fact?" said Ichiro, lowering his weapon and motioning for the others to do the same. "Let's ask the victim himself." He approached Shoji slowly, stooped down, and gently tugged Shoji's head down until they locked eyes. "Nakamura Shoji, correct?"

"Yes."

"You were in love with Asahina Ryoko, correct?"

"Yes."

"It was very sad when she died, correct?"

"Yes."

"So what happened today?"

"They told me if I pushed the button, Ryoko would come back."

"I see." Ichiro stood up and smiled at Kagami and Kuroi-sensei. "Well, there you have it."

"Please, framing Ginsaki like this won't work," said Kagami. "You can't prove it was us, especially since we all know it was you."

Ichiro turned to his fellow agents and they all laughed uncontrollably. When he finally faced Kagami and Kuroi-sensei again, he wiped tears from his eyes and took a few deep breaths. "That was a marvelous joke! You Ginsaki agents have a good sense of humor, I'll give you that much. No one said anything about framing Ginsaki except for you. All we really know is that somebody is responsible for using this boy and it just so happens that this incident is connected to Asahina Ryoko's death. Japan has a big enemy it doesn't know about yet now doesn't it?"

Kagami was silent. There was nothing she or Kuroi-sensei could say against that because they didn't have any proof either.

"I'm sorry to cut this meeting short, but we must report these findings to the police. Farewell!" With that, Ichiro and his fellow agents took off running.

"Damn it," said Kuroi-sensei. "What now?"

Kagami sighed. "We leave Shoji here and go home. The police will find him when they come to investigate and see that he's sick. They'll take him to the hospital and that'll be that. If we're caught hanging around here, then we'll really be in trouble."

"Sounds good."

"I'll be waiting for you at headquarters tonight. We have to get those plans back as soon as possible."

Kuroi-sensei nodded and they fled the scene. Once Kagami was a favorable distance from the school, she slowed to a walk and headed for the train station. In the distance, she could hear the blaring sirens on the emergency vehicles as they rushed toward what was left of Ryouou High School.

* * *

And there you have it! The next chapter will involve the aforementioned mission to reclaim stolen property. Although it may be awhile between updates, don't worry about me suddenly dropping this story. I think I said this before, but I have a cycle of projects that I work on one chapter at a time until something's finished. I doubt I'll be able to get another chapter finished by the time spring semester starts, but we'll see.

Later folks,

-Rushia


End file.
